OK, I was going to post this recipe anyway, but Muriel's plea for some crockpot recipes got me to do it right now. I made this last night and I have to say it was the best crockpot roast I've made to date. I took ingredients from various recipes I've tried and threw it together and it was just the right combo.
3-4 lb boneless beef chuck roast
1 can stewed tomatoes(I'm sure diced would work just as well)
1 small can tomato paste
1 or 2 onions cut in large pieces
1 small bag of baby carrots(MUCH easier than cutting up carrots)
potatoes cut in largish cubes(I found this small bag of little white potatoes that I cut in half, little red ones would be good too)
About 1/2 - 3/4 cup of red wine (remember, crockpot recipes don't have to be exact)
1 package of dry ranch dressing mix
About 2 Tbsp brown sugar
Sprinkle the roast with seasonings like salt and garlic pepper and put in the crockpot.
Put the carrots and onions over the roast.
In a large bowl, mix all the other ingredients together and pour over the meat and veggies. Stir it a bit to get the liquid all over everything.
Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.
I serve it over wide noodles. YUMMMMMMMMMMY!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
A Whole Lotta Orange
Ok, so here are tons of pics in my attempt at a couple of good ones. So, enjoy the mother of all posts full of pics.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Blogger Buddies Are the Best!!!!!
Gabriella and I got a sweet surprise in the mail today from our buddies Nikki and Liv today. A Halloween cup, a Beanie bear holding the letter 'G' and some herbal tea for mommy :-).
THANK YOU for the pick-me-up!!!!!!!! What a nice surprise!
Go over and pay them a visit and check out the Livapalooza celebration!!
Favorite Foto Friday
I'll post more later of my attempts at a good pic at a couple of pumpkin patches today. Can I just say it's impossible to get a picture of a girl on the move?? It didn't help that it's still a million degrees here. I'd say this one captures the diva 'tude don't you think?? Miss G in NJ, I think I'd give you a run for your money!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
An Update, Tagged and Bing!
1. So, first the update:
Gabriella (and therefore mommy) is doing really well! Her face is looking great. Just in the last 2 days, it seems to have really healed up and we are ready to start putting the Mederma on it to make sure no scarring occurs. Her chest is going to take longer since it was worse. I also think having to keep it bandaged up is making it take longer. Her face was exposed to the air and that really seems to have sped it along. But, we will follow doctor's orders. I don't want it rubbing on her clothes anyway since it's still pretty raw. Saturday was the last day we had to take her in for cleaning,etc so we are very happy that is behind us.
Thanks again for everyone who's been checking in on her(and me!).
2. I've been tagged by Carrie(Savannah's mom)
Jobs I've Had
- Hostess at Red Lobster(in high school)
- Cashier/Waitress at a pizza joint (in college)
- Computer programmer
- Oracle Database Administration/Technical Support
- SAHM (and don't let anyone ever tell you it's not a hard job!!)
Places I've Lived
- Merritt Island, FL
- Orlando, FL area
yep, that's it!!!
Foods I Love
- Homemade Mac 'n Cheese
- Italian Food
- Thai Food
- Seafood
- I'm with Carrie, is coffee a food??
Places I'd Rather Be
- On the beach somewhere in the Caribbean
- Siesta Key
- Scuba diving as it's been waaaaaaaay to long
Movies I Love
- The Birdcage
- Pretty Woman
- It's a Wonderful Life
- The Dead Poet's Society
TV Shows I Watch
- Survivor
- The Bachelor
- American Idol (though I missed last season)
- Big Brother (get the theme here???)
- What Not to Wear
- House Flipping shows (wish I had the $$, time and guts to do it)
Books I Love
- John Grisham
- Nicholas Sparks (yes, I'm a sap)
I think it's made it's rounds, so I won't tag anyone unless you are reading this and want to play.
3. Bing - I finally updated Bing's blog the other day! http://badabingsworld.blogspot.com/
Here are some pics from Sunday(I didn't take any since). Her face looks 100% better than in these pics.
Come on Ellie, let's make a break for it!
Ta-da!!!!!!!
Friday, October 12, 2007
An Update on the Princess
I just wanted to post an update to let everyone know how Gabriella (and mommy) are doing. First, I want to say a big "Thank You" to everyone who has posted comments, sent e-mails and called me. It has meant a lot and I really do appreciate it. The stories of similar accidents with good outcomes have also helped.
Gabriella seems to be doing just fine and still has not shown any signs that she feels pain or realizes anything is wrong. At least when we're home. The daily trips to the dr. are a different story. Poor thing just hates being restrained and I think that's causing most of the angst. She did really good yesterday, but was beyond hysterical today. Poor mommy was crying too. Tomorrow daddy will be home and can go with her to give me a break from having to see her like that.
I don't know how long these daily visits will last(I am just taking it one day at a time). The dr. said that hopefully tomorrow she will just need to be redressed and no more dead skin will have to be taken off(sorry if that was graphic). I am actually dreading when they say we don't need to come back because it takes three people to get the ointment on and the dressings in place, so when it is time for just us to do it, we'll have to recruit some help. Of course, the hit to the wallet for the insurance co-pays every day will be nice to get a break from. But, I am just thankful to have insurance.
I also can't wait to be able to give her a real bath. Poor thing. Her hair is looking pretty icky. But, I can't figure out how to wash and rinse it without soaking the bandages and I don't want to do that as it would require them to be changed. We sat her in the tub with about 1/2 the normal amt of water last night and washed her legs, tummy and arms the best we could. I dampened her hair a bit too with a washcloth.
The doctors continue to be convinced that she is going to heal just fine in time. Her face did get much worse than it was initially and it ended up being 2nd degree as well, but it has bounced back quickly from what I can tell. I do still worry about her chest, but they said it will heal and they don't think there will be scarring. We'll just have to be extra careful about the sun for a while to come.
Gabriella seems to be doing just fine and still has not shown any signs that she feels pain or realizes anything is wrong. At least when we're home. The daily trips to the dr. are a different story. Poor thing just hates being restrained and I think that's causing most of the angst. She did really good yesterday, but was beyond hysterical today. Poor mommy was crying too. Tomorrow daddy will be home and can go with her to give me a break from having to see her like that.
I don't know how long these daily visits will last(I am just taking it one day at a time). The dr. said that hopefully tomorrow she will just need to be redressed and no more dead skin will have to be taken off(sorry if that was graphic). I am actually dreading when they say we don't need to come back because it takes three people to get the ointment on and the dressings in place, so when it is time for just us to do it, we'll have to recruit some help. Of course, the hit to the wallet for the insurance co-pays every day will be nice to get a break from. But, I am just thankful to have insurance.
I also can't wait to be able to give her a real bath. Poor thing. Her hair is looking pretty icky. But, I can't figure out how to wash and rinse it without soaking the bandages and I don't want to do that as it would require them to be changed. We sat her in the tub with about 1/2 the normal amt of water last night and washed her legs, tummy and arms the best we could. I dampened her hair a bit too with a washcloth.
The doctors continue to be convinced that she is going to heal just fine in time. Her face did get much worse than it was initially and it ended up being 2nd degree as well, but it has bounced back quickly from what I can tell. I do still worry about her chest, but they said it will heal and they don't think there will be scarring. We'll just have to be extra careful about the sun for a while to come.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Healing Prayers Please
Gabriella (and mommy) could use some prayers today. Gabriella got burned today and mommy is feeling very, very guilty and sad.
First, before anyone freaks out, let me say that all indications are she will heal just fine. Time will tell.
I had just boiled some water and poured it over Gabriella's oatmeal. I put it on the island in our kitchen and turned to throw the packet away in the garbage 3 steps away. Gabriella reached up and pulled the bowl onto herself. She burned her chest the worst and her face is also burned under her mouth and on her chin. There are both 1st and 2nd degree(her chest mostly) burns.
I, of course, freaked out when I took her shirt off and saw how it looked. I tried to put a cloth with cold water on it, but she went bananas when I tried to do that. She was amazingly calm after the initial screaming. Once I picked her up and stopped trying to mess with it, she stopped crying. I wasn't sure whether to call 911, drive her to the ER or the pediatrician. So, I called Ferdy who calmly told me to take her to our family dr(not the ped) that is across the street from our subdivision. So, I threw on clothes as fast as I could (we were both still in our PJs) and rushed her to the car. I asked through my tears to see someone who could just tell me whether I needed to take her to the ER or not. A dr. looked at her and said she didn't need to go to the ER, but did need treatment ASAP at her pediatrician. So, I took her there and Ferdy met me. They cleaned her up and dressed it the best they could with her writhing around. I really think it was being restrained that made her more upset than pain. Once again, as soon as she was picked up, she stopped crying. The face was hard to cover and they did the best they could by wrapping gauze around her head to hold the bandages under her chin. Thank goodness the worst was on her chest which could be covered with a shirt and secured more easily.
We will go back tomorrow morning to get it cleaned and dressed again and assess how it looks. We'll go from there I guess. I will say her face has blistered more since we were there.
The amazing part is she honestly doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong. She played all day just like she always does and was smiley and happy. She ate her delayed breakfast(a COLD one!!), ate lunch and dinner took 2 naps, ate lunch and dinner and went to bed without a fuss. She did pull the dressing off of her face during her 1st nap, which I expected. So, we've just been putting the antibiotic cream on it as much as we can. The poor girl ended up in a turtleneck when it's 90 degrees out since I didn't want her to get to the dressing on her chest and the bandages were sticking out the top of a regular shirt.
I contemplated not blogging this, but I decided that if it helped the mommies and daddies out there think just a little extra about everything around their little ones, it would be worth it.
So, prayers for Gabriella to heal and for mommy to lose some of the guilt.
Here's a pic shortly after we got home(unfortunately, her face looks much worse now).
First, before anyone freaks out, let me say that all indications are she will heal just fine. Time will tell.
I had just boiled some water and poured it over Gabriella's oatmeal. I put it on the island in our kitchen and turned to throw the packet away in the garbage 3 steps away. Gabriella reached up and pulled the bowl onto herself. She burned her chest the worst and her face is also burned under her mouth and on her chin. There are both 1st and 2nd degree(her chest mostly) burns.
I, of course, freaked out when I took her shirt off and saw how it looked. I tried to put a cloth with cold water on it, but she went bananas when I tried to do that. She was amazingly calm after the initial screaming. Once I picked her up and stopped trying to mess with it, she stopped crying. I wasn't sure whether to call 911, drive her to the ER or the pediatrician. So, I called Ferdy who calmly told me to take her to our family dr(not the ped) that is across the street from our subdivision. So, I threw on clothes as fast as I could (we were both still in our PJs) and rushed her to the car. I asked through my tears to see someone who could just tell me whether I needed to take her to the ER or not. A dr. looked at her and said she didn't need to go to the ER, but did need treatment ASAP at her pediatrician. So, I took her there and Ferdy met me. They cleaned her up and dressed it the best they could with her writhing around. I really think it was being restrained that made her more upset than pain. Once again, as soon as she was picked up, she stopped crying. The face was hard to cover and they did the best they could by wrapping gauze around her head to hold the bandages under her chin. Thank goodness the worst was on her chest which could be covered with a shirt and secured more easily.
We will go back tomorrow morning to get it cleaned and dressed again and assess how it looks. We'll go from there I guess. I will say her face has blistered more since we were there.
The amazing part is she honestly doesn't seem to notice anything is wrong. She played all day just like she always does and was smiley and happy. She ate her delayed breakfast(a COLD one!!), ate lunch and dinner took 2 naps, ate lunch and dinner and went to bed without a fuss. She did pull the dressing off of her face during her 1st nap, which I expected. So, we've just been putting the antibiotic cream on it as much as we can. The poor girl ended up in a turtleneck when it's 90 degrees out since I didn't want her to get to the dressing on her chest and the bandages were sticking out the top of a regular shirt.
I contemplated not blogging this, but I decided that if it helped the mommies and daddies out there think just a little extra about everything around their little ones, it would be worth it.
So, prayers for Gabriella to heal and for mommy to lose some of the guilt.
Here's a pic shortly after we got home(unfortunately, her face looks much worse now).
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Guatoberfest Recap
Gabriella and I got home yesterday about 6 from Atlanta. I am exhausted beyond belief. The pillows at the hotel were horrible and I didn't sleep for 3 nights. The trains that went by at 11, 1, 3 and 5 didn't help much in that department either. Gabriella thankfully slept great and even napped! Phew.
I sure got a lesson in just how wild and crazy Gabriella is. She can't sit still and it was exhausting to chase after her. I gazed with envy at the calm ones like Alex, Sophie, Sabrina and Mindy(among others). In the course of the weekend she got a bruised cheek on the stairs in the lobby, busted her lip on the carpet in the meeting room and then busted it again last night on the bathroom cabinet drawer.
It was so wonderful to meet so many other families and some blogger friends. Sorry for those who I never really had a chance to talk with, but I'm sure you understand why when watching the tornado we call Gabriella tear through the place with mommy trying to keep up. Thanks to everyone who helped me wrangle her back into her stroller over the weekend. It was definitely a two-person job.
I also didn't really get very many pictures. I quickly realized I couldn't keep her out of trouble and wield the camera at the same time.
Meeting our friend Sophie with Mindy looking on.
This was a common pose throughout the weekend while screeching to get out of the stroller.
What kind of trouble can I get into here?
Tell me this look does not say it all?!
We got the kids dressed in their Halloween outfits and attempted to get a group shot. Can I just say hilarious????!!!!
My little tiger.
Sophs and her daddy.
Gee, look at which one is trying to escape!
Once we realized there was no hope for getting the kids alone in a picture, we had mommies get in it.
Left to right: Mindy, Alex, John Bryan, Sophie, Cameron, Gabriella
Daddy, do the Steeler's let women play?
Yes, she stole the pom-poms from a baby. Time to get some socializing in to teach her to share.
We went to the aquarium on Sunday. Since I couldn't get her out of her stroller(because she wouldn't let me just hold her and running around was not an option), she wasn't able to really see as much as I'd like as it was pretty crowded.
She loved the otters. I think she thought they were swimming cats :-)
Oh, and while we were there, Gabriella said her 3rd word. Take a guess.... mommy? Nah..... Shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh me oh my.
There are some pictures that are posted on other blogs with Gabriella that I'll have to rely on since I wasn't able to get many:
http://2kaz4sophie.blogspot.com/ Scroll down since Muriel blogged every day we were there!!!!!!!!!!!
http://kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/ - Great slideshow!!
http://nyblomfamily.blogspot.com/ - Another slideshow
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Hot-lanta Here We Come!
Well, tomorrow Gabriella and I are off to Atlanta for Guatoberfest!!! We cannot wait to meet so many of our blogger buddies I bet I don't sleep tonight. Wish me luck for the long drive by myself with her. She has a limit of about 2-3 hrs in the car, so I may need a babysitter, some extra-strength headache relief and a stiff drink when I get there :-)
I leave you with some pictures from the week to tide you over until we return on Monday.
She hung 5 of her purses on her motorcycle and was quite proud of herself.
She likes to use this fanny pack as a purse now too.
Who me????
Yes, you're right. This purse does match my outfit better. Thanks for the fashion tip mommy.
But, if I carry three, I can shop more !!!
And with sunglasses and a boa, one stylin' chick! I assure you none of these pictures are posed. She piles all of this stuff on herself over and over every day.
As close to putting them on as it gets.
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